Celtics may have unexpected, albeit logical alternative to pursuing Giannis Antetokounmpo

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The Boston Celtics and the NBA are watching a true beef unfold in real time as one of their superstars, Jaylen Brown, and ESPN analyst Stephen A. Smith are firing shots at each other on stream and on TV. With that in mind, the Celtics might be finally ready to push for a change in their roster core.

This will probably prop up even more Giannis Antetokounmpo rumors, or trading for some other proven superstar. However, there is another option that would get Boston a star, and could also be Jayson Tatum’s successor as the franchise cornerstone.

That would be trading with the Washington Wizards for the first overall pick, landing themselves a Boston native in the process, AJ Dybantsa.

Why it works for Boston

While this seems like an awkward trade at first, it makes sense for both parties, in the immediate sense and the long run.

For the Celtics, it gets them Dybantsa, who has been getting player comparisons to Brown. And, he could be another Cooper Flagg in terms of explosive growth. It also frees up a great deal of cap space, so the Celtics can upgrade their roster around Dybantsa and Tatum.

Whit it works for Washington

For the Wizards, while they just had multiple embarrassing seasons, their time of being tankers is over. They showed their hand when they traded for Trae Young and Anthony Davis at the deadline. They want to contend, and getting Brown would give them a big three to fear.

Even if the Wizards throw in a guy like Bub Carrington, they still have young stars in the making in Bilal Coulibaly, Kyshawn George, Tre Johnson and Alex Sarr. Getting Jaylen Brown would put them over the edge in their division, and make them a top team in the East.

Dybantsa could be the future

Getting Dybantsa would give the Celtics a surefire successor to Tatum. While he’s in his prime right now, it’s only a matter of time before he starts to regress. Getting lucky like they did with Brown and Tatum might not happen again, so making this trade might be the move Boston news to consider.

On top of that, Dybantsa could contribute immediately, just like Flagg did. If he can average near 20 points per game in his first year, it would well be worth trading Brown.

Hopefully, the Celtics at least consider this, as it could be the next big trade that continues their dominance of the East.

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